Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Vaughn is a major transshipment point for not one but two railroads...
You're correct. Aside from the railroad, the three U.S. highways that intersect at Vaughn, although not interstates, still bring a steady flow of traffic.
And there is also a major new industry that has needed housing for people working the huge windfarm just north of town. Not sure if there are windmills still being constructed, but there must be a lot of maintenance to those monsters that already exist.
You're correct. Aside from the railroad, the three U.S. highways that intersect at Vaughn, although not interstates, still bring a steady flow of traffic.
And there is also a major new industry that has needed housing for people working the huge windfarm just north of town. Not sure if there are windmills still being constructed, but there must be a lot of maintenance to those monsters that already exist.
Actually, once the windmills are built, maintenance is minimal.
And there is also a major new industry that has needed housing for people working the huge windfarm just north of town. Not sure if there are windmills still being constructed, but there must be a lot of maintenance to those monsters that already exist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NMHacker
Actually, once the windmills are built, maintenance is minimal.
I actually met a "Windmill Engineer" at a luncheon few months ago... He mentioned maintenance and other costs associated such as land rental with Wind Generated Power.
"Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs constitute a sizeable share of the total annual costs of a wind turbine. For a new turbine, O&M costs may easily make up 20-25 per cent of the total levelised cost per kWh produced over the lifetime of the turbine. If the turbine is fairly new, the share may only be 10-15 per cent, but this may increase to at least 20-35 per cent by the end of the turbine’s lifetime."
I actually met a "Windmill Engineer" at a luncheon few months ago... He mentioned maintenance and other costs associated such as land rental with Wind Generated Power.
"Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs constitute a sizeable share of the total annual costs of a wind turbine. For a new turbine, O&M costs may easily make up 20-25 per cent of the total levelised cost per kWh produced over the lifetime of the turbine. If the turbine is fairly new, the share may only be 10-15 per cent, but this may increase to at least 20-35 per cent by the end of the turbine’s lifetime."
At about $1M a pop for a new wind turbine, that comes out to $150k over say 20 years, or $7.5k per year, per turbine. That's about enough to support one crazy climber full time for perhaps 4 wind turbines that size. That's assuming O&M is 15% purchase price and 100% labor/0% materials.
A farm with 200 turbines this size would thus create 50 direct jobs post-construction.
I work for the big utility company. NM doesn't even have 50 people that service all the wind turbines in the entire state. Maintenance and service is done by a 3rd party company. There just isn't enough work to keep them on staff. When I say maintenance is minimal, I mean there really isn't a lot to maintain and service. But, when something does go wrong it is very expensive to fix and replace parts. Those climbers/electricians make very good money. North of $100k. Most of those that do the service live in Albuquerque or other larger cities and drive to the areas where service/maintenance is needed.
Oh, you were living in Clayton. That is pretty much TX anyway. Shouldn't be much of an adjustment for you. Good luck again.
I would caveat this by saying the rural Texas Panhandle = Clayton. Texas, in and of itself, is like 5 or 6 separate regions. If Brian was moving to El Paso, say, I would argue that he was moving closer to the New Mexico culture I associate with, which is Las Cruces, more than he has currently living in Clayton. If he was moving to Texarkana, then that's different than Houston. Same goes with moving to San Antonio, yet another different part of Texas, culturally.
So Brian, where in Texas are you moving to? Good luck to you wherever you settle!
Most of those that do the service live in Albuquerque or other larger cities and drive to the areas where service/maintenance is needed.
My reference was the relatively large number of motels in Vaughn that still seem to be doing business in spite of there being very little else in the town still in business. Those maintenance/construction workers must need motel rooms when they are in the area working for more than one day, I would think.
Conroe is a great area to live IF IF IF you don't have to fight the daily log-jam getting to and from work. I can recall the days when Conroe was a bedroom community for those working in central Houston and it was barely a half-hour commute with NO traffic jams. Not THAT long ago - 1960s - before the airport was in operation.
Um lookin at The Woodlands too, me jobs in Conroe. Cant wait to go!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
